Method of lasting shoes.



M. BROCK. METHOD OF LASTING SHOES. APPLICATION FILED SEPT. II], 1914- 'Patented June 8, 1915.

2 SHEETSSHEET I.

.. PH 0.. WASHINGTON, D. C,

MA'ITI-IIAS BROOK, or Bos'r'on, MAssAcHusnrrs, rename To tame SHOE V MACHINERY COMPANY, or rArnRsoN, new JERSEY, A ooerone'rron or NEW JERSEY,

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, MATTHIAS BRocK, a

citizen of the United States, residing at Boston, in the county of Suffolk and State of Massachusetts, have invented certain Improvements in Methods of Lasting Shoes, of

which the following description, in connection with the accompanying drawings, is a specification, like reference characters on the drawings indicating like parts in the several figures.

This invention relates to improvements in methods of lasting shoes, the invention being'of especial value in the manufacture of welt and turn shoes in which there is employed an inners'ole or a sole the margin'of which is reduced in thickness to form a feather terminating at its inner side in an upstanding shoulder, lip or rib. i

- In the manufactureof shoes ithas become customary to employ in the toe portion of a shoe upper material including sheets of stiffening fabric or leather which are so bulky that they can not be easily conformed as closely to the angular formation presented by the feather and shoulder of the innersole or sole as it is desirable thatthey should be in order that the upper material may be sewed to the shoulder or lip of the innersole in a manner to produce a tight seam. This difliculty has given rise to the employment of various improved forms of wiping devices in lasting machines, the object of which devices has been to force the upper better into the angle between the feather and the lip of the innersole and hold it there while it is being bound to the feather or otherwise secured in place.

For further improving the shape of welt shoes lasted on machines of the hand method type, the ironing de'vice forming the subject matter of United States Letters Patent No. 1,007,270, granted Oct. 31, 1911, to George S. Covell, was'invented. That ironing device is an apparatus separate from the machine and is provided with rubbing surfaces shaped approximately to fit the feather, the shoulder and the edge of the innersole or the upper material overlying the same, and said device is heated so that when the shoe is rubbed along said' faces the upper is ironed and smoothed and caused by heat and pressure to conform to the surfaces over which it has beenlasted. The results obtained by this use of the ironing'appa'ratus METHOD or LASTING SHOES.

Specification of Letters Patent. Patented Jung 8, 19 1 5, Application filed September 19, 1914; Serial No. 862.554. l

asan auxiliary to the hand method lastingmachine have been in many respects advantageous and helpful. Y present inven-'- tion is'to provide an improved method by A particular object of the which still better. results, may be secured wlthout sacrificingfanyof'the desirable features and advantages characteristic of the use of the above-mentioned ironing apparatus 1n connection with lasting machines of the hand method type.

As has been suggested,two handlings of theshoe were required and the ironing operation was performed after the shoe had been lasted and subsequently to the "fastenmg of the upper. The usual fastening for the toes of welt shoes is a binder of wire or other continuous material drawntightly around the toeand anchored at both ends. l/Yhen the ironing is performed after-the blnder has been applied the better confor-,

mation of'the upper to the contour of the innersole in the angle between the feather and the welt produced by the ironing oper- V ation reduces the distance around the end of the toe and therefore loosens the upper with relation to the binder so that the binder no longer holds the upper in place, and

consequentlyth'ere is nothing to hold the upper snugly against the shoulder of the lnnersole after the ironing operation and before it issewed sothat the effect of the 'or'other fasteningoperation, in a shaped the shoulder of the innersole.

When the invention is practised with the aid of a lasting machine of the hand method type, by which the upper is stretched progressively by repeated application of pin'cers conditionin said angle and firmlyagainst to adjacent portions of the upper along'the edge ofthe'shoe, the ironing will also be performed progressively, each portion of'upperbeing ironed immediately after it has been stretched and preferably while it is under stretching tension but before it is fully bound in position.

It will be understood that in" making shoes 7 method type, with the aid of which machine the invention may be advantageously practised.

Referring to the drawings: Figure 1 shows the forepart of a shoe, in perspective,

with the toe to-be lasted; Fig. 2 shows a,

transverse vertical section through the toe of a shoe which is being lasted, with upper being overdrawn and ironed into lasted position; Fig. 3 is a plan view of the shoe illustrated in Fig. 2 showing the operations that are in progress; and Fig. 4 shows the toe portion of the shoe after treatment in accordance with this invention.

In the drawings, 1 indicates a shoe upper including at the toe the usual toe stiffening materials; 2 indicates a last over which the upper is to be stretched and which car- 7 ries on its bottom face a welt shoe innersole 4, having the thin marginal feather 5 and the upstanding lip or shoulder 6 over which feather and against which shoulder the upper materials require to be shaped to adapt them to receive a welt and to be sewed to the lip or shoulder with a tight seam, it being important that the stitches of the seam enter the shoulder at or near the base thereof in order to produce a close seam. The upper is stretched over the last by pincers 10 which have an updrawing movement for stretching the upper and an overdrawing movement for carrying the upper inwardly over the innersole. The upper is further forced toward position to be secured by the action of a reciprocating tack block 12 which follows the pincers inwardly across the feather of the innersole.

The upper is pressed down upon the feather and inwardly against the shoulder of the inn'ersole and into the angle between. the feather and the innersole by the ironing tool 15 which is herein shown as a rotatable disk mounted in a carrier 16 in proximity to an electric heating unit 17 by which the ironing tool is maintained at a high temperature. One portion of the edge of the ironing tool projects from the carrier and into position to overlie and maintain continuous engagement with the upper immediately in the rear of the pincers. By the rotary movement of the ironing tool freshly heated portions are caused successively to emerge from the carrier and to rub the upper over the feather with an ironing movement, the edge face of the tool also rubbing the tool against theshoulder and forcing it into the angle between the feather and the shoulder with an ironing movement. The combined effect of the pressure, the rubbing action and the heat is to form or to shape Jvhile the shoe is being advanced in the direction of feed and the pincers are stretching one or more adjacent portions of the upper by their repeated operations in the progressive lasting of the shoe.

For fastening the upper in the position to which it has been stretched and forced by the ironing operation, a binding wire 20 has one end anchored to a tack 21 and, by wellknown mechanism contained in the machine, is maintained under tension in a line extending along the edge of the shoe adjacent to the ironing tool where, as the lasting pro ceeds, it is wrapped around the toe in bind ing engagement with that portion of the upper which stands up against the shoulder of the innersole.

From the foregoing it will be seen that the upper is stretched and its marginal portion carried inwardly over themargin of an innersole having a feather and upstanding shoulder and then the upper is ironed against and in conformity with the angular formation presented by said feather and shoulder. The ironed portion of the upper is then bound against the shoulder and this succession of steps is repeated upon adjacent portions of the upper to produce progressive lasting.

The novel features of the illustrated lasting machine herein disclosed for the purpose of showing apparatus with the aid of which the present invention may adv-antageously be practised are not claimed herein but constitute the subject matter of my copending application Serial No. 625,670, filed May 6, 1911.

Having explained the nature of this invention and how it may be practised, I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States 1. That improvement in the art of male ing shoes which consists in seizing the margm of an upper and stretching the upper and carrying its marginal portion under tension inwardly over the margin of a sole having a feather and upstanding shoulder, ironing the upper under tension by the use of rubbing pressure and heat against and into conformity with the angular formation presented by the said feather and shoulder, and binding the upper against the shoulder ing tool, and progressively'bindmg thesuccessively stretched and ironed portions of the upper against said shoulder.

3. That improvement in the art of making Y shoes which consists in stretching an upper progressively over a last by repeated operations applied to successive portions of the upper, progressively ironing the upper by forcing each stretched portion successively into position over the feather and against the shoulder of a Welt shoe innersole or. a turn shoe sole with the aid of a heated ironing tool as the lasting progresses, and maintaining the ironing pressure on each portion while another portion is being stretched into place.

4. That improvement in the art of making shoes which consists in progressively lasting the upper around the toe portion of a shoe, progressively ironing the upper aroundthe toe and progressively securing v the upper around the toe, the lasting, ironing and securing being carried on. simultaneously upon adjacent portions of the upper as the operations proceed around the toe.

5. That improvement in the art of making shoes which consists'in progressively shaping and securing the upper of a shoe over a Welt shoe innersole or aturn shoe sole by stretching the upper, ironing the stretched portion of upper into the angle between the feather and the shoulder of the innersole or sole and'binding the upper, the operations being repeated in the succession named on adjacent portions of the upper along the edge of the shoe. i

6. That improvement in the art of making shoes which consists in stretching the upper over the last and continuing the stretching pull while ironingthe stretched upper down upon. the feather of a Welt shoe innersole or a turn shoe sole and inwardly against the shoulder thereof, and binding the stretched and ironed down upper against the shoul der, all in one continuous operation.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in the presence of two subscriblng witnesses. P

, MATTHIAS BROOK. Witnesses: j I 7 i ARTHUR LLRUSs IL, JENNIE P. ANDERSON.

Gopies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, D. O." i 

